Tomahawk
Bows
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which Tomahawk Bow™ is best for me?
That’s a great question but it’s not easy to answer. Actually, only you can answer that. We’ll give you some generalities here, but the best thing to do is to browse our site so you can read-up on all the bows. We have a lot of information on this site for you to make this choice as easy as we can.
Here’s a brief overview of the different models:
Tomahawk™ “SS” Longbow
The “SS” is our fastest longbow. In it, we use a strategic combination of Tonkin Cane, Actionwood Maple, and Pacific Yew. The bamboo because it’s extremely lightweight and very strong under tension and that makes it recover FAST! The Yew on the belly is also lightweight for a fast recovery rate, but Yew also adds a mellow shot experience to the mix. (Not to mention its beautiful color and grain patterns.) A bowyer must be careful, if you design for speed only you’ll lose stability. For that reason, Dale insisted on a Maple Actionwood core. The Maple adds stability to the mix and brings the “SS” into a perfect state of harmony and balance between speed and stability. The “SS” is recommended for those who want every little bit of speed that they can possibly get from their longbow without sacrificing stability. For that reason, many 3-D shooters prefer the “SS”. If you’re into arrow speed, try a Tomahawk™ “SS”.
Tomahawk™ “Desert Fox” Longbow
The stable Desert Fox is our best selling Tomahawk Bow™. Dale designed this longbow with the traditional bowhunter in mind. The secret to the success of the Desert Fox is the Actionwood Maple used throughout. The outer lams are quarter sawn and ground at an angle resulting in an attractive natural camo effect. By the way, Maple is a grossly underrated bow wood. Maple bows are solid, rugged, and dependable. They are tough and can take the rough "real world" conditions of bowhunting and keep right on going. We like to say that “They’ll hunt as hard as you do.” The Maple in the riser adds some mass weight to the bow as well and this adds to the overall stability in the limbs and the riser as well. We recommend the Desert Fox for those who are looking for a trusted hunting companion that’s easy on the eyes as well. For serious bowhunting, the Desert Fox is tough to beat.
Tomahawk™ “Thunderstorm”
The “Thunderstorm” longbow epitomizes a wild and untamed spirit. Dale was thinking of the bowhunter who likes a more natural look in their personal longbows when he developed the Thunderstorm. Zebrawood has long been known for its hard-hitting qualities and the striking grain patterns that remind the bowhunter of the natural beauty of nature’s hardwoods. Of course, we still use our signature Maple Actionwood core for balance and stability, but on the belly and the back we offer nothing but Zebrawood. The Thunderstorm longbow is for those who like the natural look of contrasting grain patterns in a bow that is at home in the woods or on the archery range. Think of it as for those who take the path less traveled.
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Which longbow length is right for me?
This question is
best answered by showing you a graph of recommended bow lengths
for specific draw lengths.
Draw Length
| Bow Length |
24" |
25" |
26" |
27" |
27.5" |
28" |
29" |
30" |
31" |
32" |
| 58" |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| 62" |
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
| 64" |
|
|
|
|
|
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
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How heavy of a longbow do I need?
This one is another tough one to answer because we're all so different. The best scenario is to find either a shop with longbows or a friend with some longbows that you can try out. If you just don't have the opportunity to test some longbows yourself, then the following guideline should help you.
(Since we know of women who shoot heavy bows, we're not going to suggest different weights for men and women.)
For the average adult just starting out, a 45#-50# longbow should be very comfortable to shoot once the shooting muscles have been developed. Many people never go past this weight even for bowhunting. A 50# bow with a properly matched arrow can harvest nearly anything in the US.
When it comes to hunting with the bow and arrow, Howard Hill used to always say, "Shoot the heaviest bow you can control." That's good advice, but many folks forget about the "control" part. The worst thing you can do is to purchase a longbow that's too heavy for you to shoot. This is called "over-bowing" and it has ruined the sport for many would-be archers. Thankfully, we have noticed a trend where people are moving down in bow weight. With the high-energy, "hybrid bows" like Tomahawk Bows™, you can get away with this quite nicely and still be shooting a very fast arrow.
Many bowhunters consider the 55# bow to be the best all-around bow weight. Heavy enough for large game, but not so heavy that you have a tough time controlling your bow. Art Young has stated, "I can shoot completely through the largest animal on the North American continent with a 55# bow." The heavier the bow you shoot, the faster you can shoot heavier arrows for maximum penetration. We believe that 65# is really the most bow weight that anyone should ever consider unless they are planning a hunt for Cape Buffalo or the like. In that case, you'd better think HEAVY!
Most men and women will be able to shoot 45#-50# longbows well within a very shot time. If you're new to the sport, try one of those weights.
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Can I use a B-50, Fast Flight® or Dyneema® string on my Tomahawk™?
Absolutely! Tomahawk Bows™ are designed with the latest string technologies in mind. If a new high-performance string material is introduced, we like to see if it will improve the performance of our longbows. Then we select that material that we believe to be the best match in all areas of performance. At this time, all Tomahawk Bows™ are shipped with a hand-twisted Flemish Fastflight-Dyneema string. These strings are the ultimate in lightweight and non-stretch. (The attributes of the perfect string material.)
Our Tomahawk Bows™ will accept any commercially available string material that has been made into a bowstring of sufficient dimension. By the way, non-stretch strings are brutal to laminated bows if the bow is dry-fired. (A dry-fire occurs when a bow is drawn and the string released with no arrow on the string. Sometimes a broken nock that is not detected by the shooter causes the arrow to fall off the string and the archer releases the string anyway not knowing that a dry-fire is eminent.) Dry-firing a bow with a non-stretch string can actually cause a longbow to break. This is abuse to a bow and is not covered by our warranty. These high-performance strings are an easy way to add speed to your longbow, but you must not ever dry-fire it. Extra strings for Tomahawk Bows™ are available commercially. Click Here
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If I order a Tomahawk Bow™, how long will I have to wait to get it?
Our goal is to have a good selection of our Tomahawk™ longbows in stock at all times. However, due to the overwhelming demand we don’t always have the longbow you're looking for in stock. It sounds easy to correct, make more! But we are very proud of our impeccable quality standards and we will not compromise them just to crank out more bows. There are two answers to the question.
1.) If you order a longbow that is in stock, it should ship the same day you place the order.
2.) If you order a longbow that is not in stock the average delivery time is 16-18 weeks.
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Are Tomahawk Bows™ center-shot?
Tomahawk Bows™ are cut 1/16” from center. That means that the highest arch of the sight window is 1/16” further out from the bow than centerline of the limbs. This makes them legal in any sanctioned IBO tournaments and works out exceptionally well for a hunting bow.
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What comes with a new Tomahawk Bow™?
All Tomahawk Bows™ include at no extra cost:
1.) A special hand-twisted, "Tomahawk Bows"™ Flemish string made from Fast Flight Plus (Dyneema)
2.) A protective 3Rivers Archery longbow sock.
3.) A Selway longbow stringer. (The best in the business.)
4.) A hand stitched leather grip. (Take-down longbows come with a rubber Shur-Grip.)
5.) Membership in “Team-T-Hawk”.
6.) A Limited Lifetime Warranty & care and use instructions.
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What's the warranty on Tomahawk Bows™?
They carry a Limited Lifetime Warranty.
For details of the warranty Click Here
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Will a take-down Tomahawk Bow™ shoot as well as a one-piece?
Absolutely!
Not only is our T-Hawk take-down system virtually “seamless”, the added mass gives you a little more stability during the shot. Our special T-Hawk Take-Down system was designed by Michael Treadway and from the first time we saw it we knew we had to have it for our longbows. When assembled it looks and shoots just like a one-piece longbow. This no-tools-needed system is perfect for the hunter on the go. More and more bowhunters are traveling to bowhunt and they know first-hand that you can’t beat the convenience of a take-down longbow for flying in to your bowhunting camp. The T-Hawk takedown; all the convenience of a take-down bow and the shot experience of a one-piece. The “Best of the Best”.
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How can I become a member of, and what is Team T-Hawk?
Membership into "Team T-Hawk" can only come one way. You have to own a Tomahawk™ Bow. If you do, congratulations! Welcome to the team.
Team T-Hawk is a fraternity of Tomahawk Bow™ shooters who enjoy sharing hunting and shooting exploits with their fellow team members. They send in stories, many times with photos as well, and we then post them either on our site or feature them in our catalog. From time to time we'll even introduce new "Team T-Hawk" items. (Like the Team T-Hawk jacket now available.) Keep an eye out on our website.
We have quite a few members now, but we’re always looking for good solid bowhunters and bow-shooters to join our ranks.
Pick up a Tomahawk Bow™ today and become a member of "Team T-Hawk".
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Do you ship Tomahawk Bows™ to other countries?
Yes we do.
We have been shipping all over the world. No matter where you live, if we can get it delivered to you we will. Tomahawk Bows™ are circling the globe. Everywhere we go, we're improving the way people shoot. Tomahawk Bows™, "The Best of the Best".
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Can I shoot carbon arrows in my Tomahawk Bow™?
You bet!
Not only is it allowed, we encourage you to try them. Carbon arrows are as close to the perfect arrow material as the world has ever seen. They recover from archer’s paradox quickly and they retain their energy well delivering more energy at the target. They are also tough, nearly indestructible, straight, and available in attractive wood-grain patterns. They are, however, a little on the light side. Use care when setting up your carbon arrows. Shoot for a total mass weight of about 9-10 grains per pound of bow weight. For example, if you are shooting a 50# @ 28” bow, your 28”-29” arrows should be in the neighborhood of 450-500 grains. You can safely go heavier, but use caution when attempting to go lighter. The lighter and lighter your arrow gets, the closer to a dry-fire situation you will be in. Dry fires can destroy your favorite bow! Carbon arrows are an excellent choice for shooting out of Tomahawk Bows™, just keep an eye on the total weight.
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Do I need a left handed or a right handed bow?
A right-handed archery bow shooter holds the bow in their left hand and pulls the string with their right hand. If you shoot like that, order a right-handed bow.
A left-hander archery bow shooter holds the bow with their right hand and pull the string with their left hand. If this is the way you shoot, order a left-handed bow.
It’s a good idea to check for your dominant eye as well. To do this, face a wall that has a small object like a clock or a door knob as a reference point. With BOTH EYES OPEN point at the object with a finger. Without moving, close you’re left eye. Is the finger still pointing at the object? If so, you are right-eye dominant and you should shoot a right-handed bow. If your finger is NOT still on the object, open your left eye then close your right eye. If your finger is now on the object, you are left-eye dominant. You should order a left-handed bow.
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I'd like to send you some sucess photos, how do I do that?
Hunting Picture Instructions
We love it when our fellow "Team T-Hawk" members share their success stories and hunting
pictures with us. Thanks for sharing yours and congratulations on your bow hunting success!
Please follow the instructions listed below so we can process your pictures and stories and get them on-line.
It's getting to the point where we see about a 50-50 mix of digital to photograph images. Either one works for us. High resolution digital images are the best, but we can scan actual photographs as well.
Digital Images
The larger the file the better. If you plan on e-mailing it, the resolution
should be 72dpi and the overall size less than one meg. If you plan on burning
it to a CD and mailing it in, then it can be BIG. The small images we can use
on line but not in print. The large images allow us to use them in either format.
Photographs
If sending an actual Photo, the bigger the better, but we can work with standard print sizes. We simply scan them and convert them to digital images for the web.
Please include:
Your contact information.
What state/province the game was taken.
What gear you used. (A brief story or testimonial about your Tomahawk Bow™, arrows, broadheads, etc. is nice too.)
Please note: By submitting images and statements, you are authorizing us to use them in public forums such as our web-site, catalog, magazine ads, etc.
If e-mailing please send to:
wil@3RiversArchery.com
If sending through the mail, please mail to:
3Rivers Archery
PO Box 517
Ashley IN 46705
Again, congratulations on your Tomahawk Bow™ success and thanks for sharing your hunting pictures and stories with us.
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How can I get a catalog sent to me?
We offer free 3Rivers Archery catalogs. They have our entire Tomahawk Bows™ line-up as well as all your other traditional archery needs like: feathers, recurve bows, longbows, broadheads, arrow shafts, carbon arrows, wood arrows, and aluminum arrows, nocks, field points, treestands, books, videos, DVD's, and more. If it's traditional archery you'll find it at 3RiversArchery.com. To order your FREE catalog Click Here
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Can I "test drive" a Tomahawk Bow™?
You sure can! We offer a 100% money back, satisfaction guarantee.
We understand that it’s tough to purchase a custom longbow without trying it out. A bowhunter wants his bow to fit, to be a trusted hunting companion. That’s why we’re offering you this unique opportunity.
Order any Tomahawk Bow™, when you get it, test-drive it for up to 30-days. If at the end of that time you decide you don’t want to keep the bow simply box it up and return it to us for a refund of your purchase price. (Of course you’ll be responsible for the shipping fees both ways. Make sure too that you insure the bow against shipping damage.)
The bow must come back to us in like new, re-sellable condition. If there are any signs of wear, use, or abuse, we will have to assess a re-stocking fee. The fee will depend on the condition of the bow.
As long as the bow comes back to us like new, you’ll get a full refund. What a great way to test a bow without any obligation to buy! Why do we offer such a sweet deal? Because we’re confident that once you try it, you won’t want to let go of your new Tomahawk Bow™. After all, once you’ve tried the best, it’s hard to go back to the rest. Tomahawk Bows™, the “Best of the Best.”
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